Stephens Reiterates Overweight Rating for Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL)

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "overweight" rating reissued by investment analysts at Stephens in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $67.00 target price on the biotechnology company's stock. Stephens' price target indicates a potential upside of 60.36% from the company's current price.

Several other research firms also recently commented on VCEL. Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Vericel from $61.00 to $51.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Vericel from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research report on Friday, February 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.14.

Vericel Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VCEL traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $41.78. The company had a trading volume of 404,506 shares, compared to its average volume of 416,216. The company has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a PE ratio of 1,393.13 and a beta of 1.33. Vericel has a one year low of $37.39 and a one year high of $63.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $41.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.39.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.23) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $52.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $53.86 million. Vericel had a net margin of 1.25% and a return on equity of 1.09%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.08) earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Vericel will post 0.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Vericel

In related news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 24,850 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.89, for a total transaction of $1,040,966.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 260,354 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,906,229.06. The trade was a 8.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vericel

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Voya Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Vericel by 68.7% during the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 24,664 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,101,000 after acquiring an additional 10,048 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Vericel during the 1st quarter valued at $812,000. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vericel by 51.8% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 53,533 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $2,389,000 after acquiring an additional 18,274 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vericel by 9.0% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 123,028 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $5,490,000 after acquiring an additional 10,191 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Vericel by 13.6% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 371,486 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $16,576,000 after acquiring an additional 44,333 shares in the last quarter.

Vericel Company Profile

Vericel Corporation, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and distribution of cellular therapies for sports medicine and severe burn care markets in North America. The company markets autologous cell therapy products comprising MACI, an autologous cultured chondrocytes on porcine collagen membrane for the repair of symptomatic, and single or multiple full-thickness cartilage defects of the knee; Epicel, a permanent skin replacement humanitarian use device for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with deep-dermal or full-thickness burns; and NexoBrid, a biological orphan product for eschar removal in adults with deep partial-thickness and/or full-thickness thermal burns.